The pain started around 8 p.m. on December 22, remembers Nicholas Kandoll. At first, he thought it was the flu or even gas. His wife and four young kids all had the flu. He asked his wife if pain was one of their symptoms, and she said no. He tried to fall asleep, but the pain kept getting worse. Finally, around 1 a.m., he remembered his mom having appendicitis years ago. 

Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix and causes pain on the lower right side. The pain increases over time and can become severe. A burst appendix can spread the infection inside the stomach and become life-threatening. Appendicitis can happen at any age, but most people are between 10 and 30 years old. 

Nicholas decided to call his mom, who lives in Washington State, where it was two hours earlier. She asked if he could stand up straight, and he said not exactly. Next, she had him do the "rebound test" – she had him push on his stomach, and if it hurt worse when releasing, that is a sign of appendicitis. It did seem to hurt worse when released. Last, she had him cough, which hurt. Dr. Mom told him he needed to go to the emergency department.  

Nicholas could barely walk when he made it to the ED. Patient Access quickly checked him in, and the ER nurse gave him a shot for the pain. 

"Nurse Julia was so wonderful. She put me at ease and had a good sense of humor. I've never gone through anything like this before, and she helped distract me from the pain," he said. 

Dr. Luis Martinez was ready to see him in the ED. He ordered a CT scan which showed Nicholas' appendix was inflamed and needed to be removed. 

Immediately, Nicholas, as the pastor at New York Mills Apostolic Lutheran Church, was anxious. Having surgery just days before the busiest time of year, Christmas, didn't seem possible in his schedule. Plus, he had a speaking engagement in Washington State five days from then. His fear was remembering his mom having a long recovery time from surgery. 

Perham Health has surgeons on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so Dr. Martinez called in Dr. Brett Glawe and the surgical team. When Dr. Glawe arrived, he recommended surgery and explained the risks. "I told Nicholas that his appendix was thick and inflamed, and the best and most expeditious course of action was to remove it," explained Dr. Glawe. 

Not really wanting to do surgery, Nicholas asked what his other options were. Dr. Glawe offered his insight, saying, "I explained to Nicholas that appendicitis could be treated with antibiotics and it would get better. However, it usually takes longer to see improvement. It may also happen again, and he would have to go through all the pain again, along with the risk of his appendix bursting." He also explained that he would perform the surgery laparoscopically with small incisions so Nicholas's recovery time would be much quicker than his mom's. 

That assurance is what helped him decide to have the surgery. By 5:30 a.m., the surgical team was in place, and he was being transferred into the operating room. 

"I remember silently saying a prayer because I was nervous. It was a super short prayer, so I said another one, and the next thing I remember is being woken up and asked if I wanted toast," Nicholas recalled. 

Dr. Glawe came in and explained that everything went well. As a result of having laparoscopic surgery performed, Nicholas was able to go home in a few hours. He was on his way home by 11 a.m. after being given instructions on how to take care of his incisions. 

"I was truly amazed. I think I got to the ED around 1:30 a.m. so I wasn't even there for 12 hours," said Nicholas. 

Once home, he emailed Dr. Glawe asking if he could still go on the trip. Dr. Glawe assured him he could as long as he felt good, took it easy, and had a follow-up appointment by phone. 

Since Nicholas was feeling reasonably well, he decided to conduct Christmas Eve service and let the assistant pastor take Christmas Day so as not to overdo it. 

When December 27 arrived, Nicholas boarded the plane to Washington State. "I was so grateful to be able to speak at my former church and see friends and family," he expressed. Again, there was lots of laughter and some pain, but it was steadily decreasing. 

While in Washington, he had his follow-up appointment by phone and sent photographs of his incisions via MyChart. One incision had opened slightly, but Dr. Glawe said it would just take a little longer to heal. 

Now that it is a month later, Nicholas feels completely recovered. He is thankful for Dr. Martinez, Dr. Glawe, and the entire emergency room and operating room staff. "They were so quick to get me in and diagnose me. I was in and out of surgery before I knew it." Continuing gratefully, he added, "It was a terrible night, and they made it as good as possible. We are so lucky to have such great local care."